A Tale as Old as Time: The Dragon and The Knight
---- Aether walked into the strange new arena that the judges had chosen for them. Several floating islands, so high off the ground that one who could not fly would certainly die should they fall. Terrain like this would certainly give Aether an advantage. In his plasma form he could fly, and he could control the grassy terrain using his Green Magic. That's when he saw his opponent, an absurdly tall man with scarlet hair and steel eyes. Aether approached closer to his next target. "Excuse me sir, but I don't believe you meet the description of any of the participants of this competition. Who are you?" Cedar smiled brightly, "You're right. I'm not. My name is Cedar Kyros, I was asked to come in place of your former opponent. He wasn't able to make it. So you will be fighting me instead." Cedar looked over Aether, recognizing him immediately. Aether Cade; the Plasma Dragon and leader of Dragon's Tooth. A strong opponent. Cedar wouldn't be pulling punches today. The Dragon Slayer briefly began to pace around him. Briefly sniffing the air to get a gist of his opponent. He was swelling with Magic Power. Aether actually cracked a smile, his Dragon Slayer instinct to fight strong opponents. "So, will you be trying to sweep this position from under my feet? Or are you perhaps you are simply acting as a proctor for me? If it's the latter, I must say, I've aced every test I've taken since I was 8 years old." He took up a stance, preparing for combat. "I'm a proctor. Just here to rough you up and see if you fit the bill. This won't be like any exam you've taken." Cedar said with a chuckle. He clasped his hands together in front of him the side of his right fist against his left palm, drawing them apart as a metal broadsword formed in his hand, glowing with pale blue energy. "Now then. I'm not going to waste any time!" Punctuating his point, Cedar swung three times, crescents of energy whizzing through the air off his blade, aimed at Aether's head, shins, and torso respectively. A high-speed attack meant to test either his agility or ability to create large barriers. Aether's hands hovered over his own blades, seeing Cedar create a sword of his own. It had been some time since he was in an actual sword fight. As Cedar began to make the swinging motion of his sword, it became fairly obvious that he was using a long range sword slash. At the distance he was at, he wasn't fully confident in his ability to draw his own swords and block his assault before Cedar's attack could hit him. He crouched to the ground, plasma pulsating all across Aether's body as he activated Plasma Dragon's Scales, the spells launched by his proctor being nullified by the heat and reflective power of his spell. As soon as Cedar's spell had been successfully blocked, Aether converted the plasma used to create the shield into another spell, his Plasma Dragon's Electron Cannon. He fired a one-handed variation towards Cedar. After the launching of his spell, he took a deep breath, waiting to see his opponent's next move. Cedar didn't budge as the beam of plasma rocketed towards him, gripping his sword, muttering an incantation under his breath. Aes Succusus. His blade began to vibrate in his iron grip, raising it in front of him as Aether's plasma reached the sword, splitting around it and his body as the alternating vibrational frequency of Cedar's enchantment tore his spell in half, leaving his own body in the center unharmed as deep ruts formed in the earth on either side of him. Cedar changed stances, sword arm out and body tense in position. Suddenly he shot forward, reaching Aether in a mere moment due to the temporary use of Dues Celeritas, his blade set in a piercing forward lunch at Aether's torso. After launching his spell, Aether rose back to his feet. As Cedar flew towards him, Aether's hand moved to his sword, Sekhmet. In a flash of blue, the Black Steel blade had barely managed to parry Cedar's thrust, sending it to the side. A cut appeared on Aether's side. If it wasn't thanks to his own reflexes, he likely would've been run through. He had sensed a brief rise in magical energy from his opponent before he struck, and could hear a small whirring sound coming from his blade. Speed enhancement. He made a mental a note of that. The advantage of fighting a fast moving target was the difficulty it took for them to slow down. As Cedar continued to bear down on him, Aether aimed a plasma-enhanced knee to his gut. He had released the Dues Celeritas spell after its use. There was no point in keeping active, it would just waste his power, he could handle close range combat without a speed boost. His sword was pinned on Aether's left, instead of trying to retrieve it, Cedar let go, letting it dissipate. Interlocking his hands quickly, metal gauntlets grew across both hands, stretching to his forearms as Cedar positioned them in an x-formation to block Aether's attack. Taking advantage of his current lack of balance, with one knee still in the air, Cedar's right leg shot out to Aether's shin, attempting to knock him off his feet. He gritted his teeth as Cedar's leg made contact with his shin. He began to fall, stumbling forward. He briefly inhaled, firing a blast of plasma from his mouth towards his proctor. The force of the blast sending Aether backward, before his opponent could capitalize on his loss of balance. Regaining his footing, his body transformed into plasma as he flew over to a nearby floating island, waiting for his opponent's next move. Cedar let out a huff of surprise, as plasma was aimed at his legs when Aether created distance between them. He took two quick steps in reverse, barely managing to clear the range of the assault. Cedar watched as Aether glided to another island, grimacing slightly. Once again he enchanted himself with Deus Celeritas, gaining a running start before he leapt off the island, soaring through the air in an incredible leap until he landed on Aether's island, removing the effect as a silver lance formed in his hands, releasing a cool energy as frost traversed its surface. Aether sheathed Sekhmet, a substantial crack having formed on his favored sword from Cedar's assault earlier. He drew Hathor, its white blade almost gleaming in the sunlight. The wound on Aether's side cauterized itself, using his plasma. He winced in slight pain from the effect. He created a small sphere in his hand, violently rotating. Cedar could block Aether's plasma bursts, but how would he handle this. He threw his Plasma Dragon's Blue Bomb at his target, aiming to set it off within ten feet of his proctor. Not only would the plasma serve to burn him, its brightness would serve as a cover, allowing Aether to sneak up on his target with the speed of lightning, and deal a plasma-enhanced punch to his jaw. The cauterization of Aether's wound was unsettling to watch, though Cedar himself had found himself performing similar in-battle so it was no surprise. A massive shield formed on his arm quickly reinforced to epic proportions, blocking the brunt of the damage of Aether's attack. As the flash of light took over the arena, Cedar saw Aether's muscles tense as he began to move until smoke and white light surrounded him. Cedar clasped his hands together, forming ten lances around his body, holding them in the air with his Enchantment. They surrounded him like a circle, each spear almost five feet long, preventing Aether from coming close, less he wished to be impaled. The Dragon Slayer halted his approach, jumping backward to avoid being skewered. "Your defense is impeccable," he said, beginning to pace around his opponent. "I haven't been able to leave a scratch on you yet." Aether looked where his opponent was standing. He squatted down, his muscles tensed as if he were going to try another frontal assault. But then, the grass seemed to come alive, aiming to coil around and restrict Cedar. It was Aether's Green Magic. The Plasma Dragon slammed his palms into the ground, activating Fragmentation to soften the ground they were standing on. The solid earth for about five feet deep turned to sand, which both Mages could easily sink into. Aether turned to plasma again, flying above the island. His grass still ensnaring Cedar, while the earth acted to take away the proctor's footing. Aether inhaled deeply and fired the Plasma Dragon's Roar from his mouth. That which did not directly hit his target would melt the sand in lava. Cedar smiled, accepting the praise, "Thank you, it is something my mentor drilled into me." He watched Aether's movements, lights still flickering in his vision as he felt the ground shift beneath him. He leaped suddenly, into the air to avoid the getting caught in the sinking ground. Cedar landed hard, vision swimming, though he was well out of range of Aether's attack. his volley of spears surrounded him once more, though instead of using them as a defense, he thrust the volley heavenward, aimed to take Aether out of the sky. Aether held out his hands in front of him, creating a concave shield of plasma in front of him. The lances stopped themselves on it, beginning to melt from the contact with it. The shield began to move over the spears, entrapping them in a sphere of plasma. The spears began to break down, melting, then evaporating, and condensing. It was his Plasma Dragon's Containment Wave. Afterward, the spears had been turned into merely a small ball of plasma. He threw the ball down, but not towards Cedar. He was aiming for the island. The blast would not be strong enough to destroy it, but it would cause the ground to completely shatter, giving Cedar no stable ground to stand on. He sighed in annoyance. Aether's moves were only getting more destructive and predictable as the fight continued, not to mention it would be draining. Once again, his hands clasped in front of his body, channeling his aura through his body as metal ruptured through the skin of his back, sprouting metallic wings-one snow-white, an exact replica of that of an angel's while the other was sharp and jagged, a testament to his lack of mastery over the Perfect Replica technique. Cedar took to the skies, another broadsword forming in his hand, obviously enchanted due to the subzero temperature radiating off of it. Aether watched as Cedar flew. He thought he was beginning to understand the extant of Cedar's abilities, but he was thrown for a loop when Cedar took to the sky. Aether held out his hand, creating his Plasma Dragon's Spiraling Shuriken. He threw the weapon towards Cedar in a vertical shape. Despite its size and strength, the Shuriken was moving in a predictable manner, making it easy to dodge. Which was why he had his Scatter spell prepared to strike him with hundreds of needles of plasma. Cedar raised his sword, flooding his magic into it as it released it's enchanted effect, freezing the weapon in mid-air to such a degree where it shattered harmlessly into shards of ice, falling down to the ground far, far below. "How do you feel?" Cedar called out, "Must be getting pretty tired by now. You've been using a lot of power." He smiled. This was the fault of those who used lost magics. Those like him who used basic, versatile spells could go on for much longer in comparison. He flew forward into close range, aiming a diagonal swing from Aether's right shoulder to his left hip. Aether unsheathed Hathor as Cedar approached him. He parried once again, aiming to send Cedar off balance. "You'd be surprised at how long I can go," he replied with a smile of his own. Aether moved his free arm to grab Cedar's sword arm. At the same time, several strings of plasma came out of his hand, his Plasma Dragon's String, aiming to attach themselves to the arm as well. He went to throw Cedar over his shoulder, the strings being used to restrict arm movement, and preventing him from getting too far away. Cedar beat his metal wings once, darting backward while using his sword to cut through the strings of plasma before they could grab hold, though there were several circular holes in his jacket from where parts of the string had struck him. He grimaced at the burning pain, his grip faltering before hardening again. "You're paying for this jacket's replacement when we're done!" Cedar shouted back coming forward once more, unleashing a devastating attack pattern of one left cross, a right cross, and a left hatch. Aether unsheathed Sekhmet as well. He moved Hathor into the path of the first sword strike, parrying it in an upwards direction. The second cross was blocked with Sekhmet. But suddenly, it broke in half, the upper half of the blade flying through the air. The third slash was upon him. He dropped the hilt of Sekhmet, a sphere of plasma collecting in his hand, one which looked identical to the Blue Bomb he had used earlier. He moved it into the path of the third slash, a sudden explosion going off the second the blade made contact with it. It was his Plasma Dragon's Pulsar. The explosion would likely send Cedar off balance, which would give Aether ample time to counterattack with a kick to send Cedar down into the ground. "Perhaps I have to pay for a new jacket, but I'm certain that a Black Steel blade is far more expensive!" The force of the explosion sent Cedar reeling backward, regaining his balance quick enough to defend against Aether's kick as his wings beat furiously to keep him afloat. "Too bad I haven't got the bill to foot it." Cedar replied gritting his teeth. Suddenly his wings folded as he tucked into a ball, falling down to the rapidly approaching ground until he unfurled them once more, catching his fall as he settled onto the largest of the floating islands gracefully. Aether flew back over to the larger island, deactivating his plasma form upon touching down to ground. He waited for Cedar to approach him again. Throughout almost the entire fight, Cedar had only been defending, causing Aether to go through his own magical reserves at a more rapid pace than his opponent. Now, Aether waited, preparing for the opportune moment to strike. Cedar knew it was time to get serious, test Aether's defense instead of his offense. He put his hands into the same position he had at the beginning of the match, drawing another broadsword from his palm, imbuing it with powerful light magic as he approached Aether again, swinging his sword down from above Aether's head. Unlike his other attacks, it was slower, even though his sword did not weigh anymore than the previous. He was waiting for Aether to block and when he did, his sword would release a blinding flash of light to anyone but Cedar, opening up another counterattack, leaving Aether in quite a predicament as he had no idea of the effect. Aether noticed the more sluggish movements of his opponent this time. He aimed to parry the blade with Hathor once again, but as soon as the two swords made contact, a flash of light blinded him. Aether was well-accustomed to fighting without relying on sight, but would need a second or two to adjust. To grant him that time, he activated his Plasma Dragon's Scales throughout his whole body, which would burn and repel Cedar if he went in for a follow up attack. Aether then ducked down to the ground. His fist slammed into the earth, Spires of rock erecting around him to further deter any attacks, and impale the man who was too close. Cedar cut through the spires with his sword, enchanting his own body to remove his scent and the sounds created by his movements, making it nearly impossible for Aether to track him until the effect wore off. He more forward again, switching the enchantment on his sword from light to ice, swinging his long sword through Aether's defenses and towards his side. Aether noticed the immediate removal of Cedar's scent and sound. However, he hadn't eradicated the vibration his steps created. His Earth Magic granted him a seismic sense, allowing him to feel Cedar's footsteps as he came closer. His head was bowed, preventing his opponent from seeing his smile. His sword became cloaked in plasma, blocking the cold blade with Hathor. He went to punch him in the face, his fist cloaked in plasma. Cedar grit his teeth as their blades made contact, steam sizzling between them. When Aether's arm began to move, Cedar took a step back, moving his sword instinctually to Aether's arm to slice it off if he continued his forward motion. "You need to remember," Cedar said, smiling lightly, "It isn't wise to bring fists to a sword fight." He had no actual intent to harm Aether, however, the slash was just as quick as the others, with strength and determination behind it and if Aether didn't retaliate, he would loose his fist. Aether pulled back his hand, aiming to parry the sword swing with Hathor to knock Cedar off balance. He touched his hand to the ground again, in the same manner, he performed to activate Spires as he had before, but this effect was different. The ground below Cedar suddenly sunk into the ground at a rapid pace, as Aether activated his spell Sink. Should he find himself falling into the ground, Aether would close the hole over Cedar's head, and trap him inside. Cedar's stance was firm as he deflected the parry, noticing as Aether moved to the ground. It was the earlier spell he had used. He retaliated by jumping into the air, simultaneously sprouting mismatched metal wings once more, taking to the sky and gliding away from the sunken area, landing on the ground a fair distance away, awaiting Aether's next strike with a smile on his face. It was clear that Aether was getting desperate. Aether had felt his opponent leave the ground, as he could temporarily no longer sense their movements, but he felt him make contact with the ground once again. His head was turned away from his opponent, like a blind man listening to his surroundings. He began weighing his options. He had been blinded; his opponent could not be smelled, heard, or sensed, his only way of pinpointing their movements being their movements on the earth; and he seemed to have an answer to every one of his spells and techniques. The Dragon Slayer stood still, discreetly channeling his magical energy into his hands, awaiting his opponent's next move. "I must say, I've never been put in a position like this before. I've been unable to land a scratch on you. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're trying to beat me by simply forcing me to use up my magical energy attacking you. Is that true Cedar?" "My Master always said, 'Use your opponent's strengths against them.' If I can use my simple enchantments to diffuse your Dragon Slayer Magic, then I have the upperhand." Cedar replied with confidence, before swallowing hard. He released all enchantments currently placed on himself, seeing as his inflicted blindness was going to wear off soon. There was no point in hiding himself. A javelin formed in Cedar's hand as he extended his arm, preparing to throw. Aether wouldn't be able to see it. He wouldn't smell it. And he wouldn't sense it on the ground. It was a perfect attack. Cedar aimed, pushing off with his back leg at the same time he thrust his arm forward, releasing his weapon as it was sent spiralling towards where Aether's thigh met his torso- an attack meant to bring him to his knees. Aether could once again smell and sense his opponent. He could feel his vision returning, but it wasn't back quite yet. He felt Cedar's movements, him taking his foot off the ground, but next thing he knew, there was a sharp pain going through his leg. He dropped to his knee, pulling the weapon from his leg, and cauterizing the wound to prevent any major blood loss. A dome of earth suddenly surrounded Aether, hardened due to his Sediment '''technique. It was the casting of '''Mountain. The walls were thick, with a hollowed out center. He wrapped his Healing Vines around his injury to aid in the recovery process, and turning into plasma to prevent him from having to walk on it, floating just above the ground. If he wanted to finish Aether off, Cedar would need to come inside of the dome, where he'd have the home field advantage. Cedar smiled. Aether was unable to walk now. He had no clue what the Dragon Slayer's condition would be inside the dome, however he assumed he had used his magic to seal the wound. Nonetheless it has ensured Cedar's success and the dense earthen dome only increased his luck. Cedar approached the structure, letting his aura seep across his body, bonding with ethernano and effixing the Dues Ops spell to his body- a physical enhancement that drastically increased his strength. He put his fist on the surface, getting into a stance before removing his fist, holding it at the ready. Then, he roared his hip, throwing his fist forward with the full strength and force of his enchanted body. His fist made contact with the earthen dome, shattering it into large jagged chunks, caving inward on Aether who had trapped himself inside. Even if his sight had not returned to him at this point, Aether's could still sense the falling earth around him with his Earth Magic. His cloaked him body in his in his Plasma Dragon's Scales, the falling earth melting as it made contact with his body. He flew directly through it, going high into the air before Cedar could take advantage of him being in such a compromising position. After halting his ascent, he looked down upon the man who gave him his injuries. "It's going to take a while for this to heal!" Aether called down. "It's almost like you're trying to hinder my future performance in the games!" Aether flew back down to the ground, landing on his good leg. He sat down, cross-legged, wrapping new vines around his leg to replace the ones he had burned off before. "I concede," he said calmly. "As much as I hate to surrender, I'd prefer to not suffer any more grievous injuries. Such damage would further hinder my progression through the Jigoku Games, and being unable to stand properly is already a bad enough handicap." Category:Jigoku Games